In June 2023, Laurent Ruquier announced his departure from France Télévisions, after 23 years of good and loyal service. A few months later, the host proudly revealed that he had made the decision to join the ranks of the BFMTV channel. Since September 25, Laurent Ruquier has been at the helm of a show called 20 Hours of Ruquier, a new program broadcast from Monday to Thursday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in which the host collaborates with Julie Hammett and receives several guests to debate current events for an hour.
But the host said he was happy to be at the helm of this new show, he had been whispering to himself for a few days that he wanted to “throw in the towel”. The magazine Closer then assured that the director of the channel Marc-Olivier Fogiel would have had “a long conversation” with the member of Les Grosses Têtes whom he would have convinced to stay “until the end of the season”. The latter also assured that the audiences were good and “already above the objectives set for March”.
Laurent Ruquier announces his departure on Instagram
But Laurent Ruquier ultimately did not wait for the end of the season to leave. This Tuesday, December 26, 2023, the host announces his immediate departure from the channel and, against all expectations, mentions the poor audiences. “I have decided not to continue the adventure started at the end of September on BFM TV. I would like to thank Marc-Olivier Fogiel for the trust he placed in me – and which he wished to renew in me until the end of the season – but I prefer to stop there. I could hide behind the international situation and the dramatic news which certainly did not make my task easier when I arrived, but it is clear that the public did not not followed as much as we hoped in this different role for me. I do not regret having chosen BFM TV after having had to leave France Télévision last June” he wrote.And added: “I lived these three months as a fascinating experience and, if we have nothing to be ashamed of the audiences obtained in one quarter, it is clear that they do not live up to my expectations either nor, for me, from the daily work that it represents. I have so much satisfaction with radio and Grosses Têtes on RTL, writing for the Theater or producing artists, that I only wish to continue doing television provided that the pleasure is shared with the viewers. I wish you a happy holiday season and I’ll see you soon on RTL.”
ES